Gravity blasted into Venice this morning winning huzzahs from the press and upping buzz on the Lido ahead of tonight’s official opening. Helmer Alfonso Cuaron, stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, co-writer Jonas Cuaron and producer David Heyman took the dais for a press conference this afternoon to discuss the challenges of filming a movie set in a weightless environment. There was also talk about Syria, satellites — and even a Ben Affleck as Batman reference.

Alfonso Cuaron said the idea for Gravity was borne from a script his son Jonas had written about two characters stuck in a hostile environment and their journey though adversity. Cuaron said that at the time, adversity was “very present in our lives” so they used it as a point of departure. The satellite debris that destroys Bullock and Clooney’s space shuttle became “a metaphor for adversity.” Bullock’s character, Dr Ryan Stone, has also experienced a tragedy back on Earth that has turned her into “a machine that was a factory for her brain.” A thrust of the narrative is her evolving from someone with no reason to live, to someone who wants to live.

Much of the film is Bullock on her own and the actress said she spent most of her time in a 9’x9’ lightbox or “hanging from 20 foot ceilings.” She called the film, “Physically and mentally, the craziest, most bizarre, challenging thing” she’s ever done. “But you find what you’re made of because if you don’t do it, you’ve destroyed a beautiful story.” Setting the film in a zero-g environment created a big challenge – or as Cuaron termed it, a “mindf***” – because the actors had to learn a whole new set of physics. There were scientific advisers to help. “The actors had to get used to how things act and react in zero-g with no resistance.” The animators also had to learn new rules. “It was the worst case scenario of animation and the worst case scenario for live action film,” Cuaron said.

Recent Comments

This seems to be a sci-fi like never before because it is all possible from astronauts' point...

Will

2 years

No, you are choosing not to watch it.

Hanna Drolly

2 years

The premise of this film sounds wonderful. And the pairing! Interesting how quietly this production went. And...

Clooney joked he and Bullock had prepared by doing “a lot of Bikram yoga together.” Asked why he chose the part, Clooney turned serious and said, “If you’re lucky enough to be able to make choices, and most actors aren’t, there are three reasons.” He then listed script, director and cast and said he considered that Gravity had the best of those three elements.

Clooney also has another, more coincidental, relationship to Gravity. There are satellites seen throughout the film and Clooney was asked today about his Satellite Sentinel Project between North and South Sudan which provides an early warning system to deter mass atrocities. “It’s about accountability,” Clooney said of the project. “We want to make it more difficult to act without any ramifications. Now attacks only happen at night or under cloud cover, so we’ll switch it to infrared… If it helps at all, it’s worth it.”

Veering entirely off the subject of Gravity, Clooney was asked whether he thought President Obama should send troops to Syria. “I was hoping I was going to get that question,” he quipped, adding seriously, “I don’t think I have much of an answer for that.” And then he offered, “I was thinking you were going to ask me about Ben Affleck playing Batman.”

5 Comments

Can’t wait to see this movie Sandra Bullock and science fiction! It like a dream movie

Michael • on Aug 28, 2013 6:52 am

too bad Clooney is in it. I won’t be able to watch it.

Will • on Aug 28, 2013 6:52 am

No, you are choosing not to watch it.

Hanna Drolly • on Aug 28, 2013 6:52 am

The premise of this film sounds wonderful. And the pairing! Interesting how quietly this production went. And suddenly – bam! – Sandra Bullock and George Clooney together in a movie. Talk about “mature actresses and actors getting very cool roles” – if someone just writes the cool stories for them. “Gravity” – something to definitely look forward too!

Elsie • on Aug 28, 2013 6:52 am

This seems to be a sci-fi like never before because it is all possible from astronauts’ point of view. From what I hear the Cuaron’s filming of the movie is fantastic. Naturally I am a big fan of George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, even if I wasn’t I would not let that stop me from seeing this ground breaking film. Of cause that’s all our choice but I don’t understand the hatred of GC, out side of his younger girl friends. They don’t last because he is a work-a-holic. He’s not the highest paid actor even though he could , it’s more important to get the movie done. He doesn’t take any money up front for any of his rolls anymore. When it comes to his heartache over the Sudanese people in Darfur (just one of his causes) he puts his own hard earned money into helping anyway he can. So what’s to hate? He’s admired all over the world for being an activist, humanitarian and anti-violence. I almost forgot he’s into echo living as much as possible.